Embroidered sash on The Silent Gallery
Eccentricity and life
Photography
A busy week ahead!!
As Ireland has embraced itself for the heaviest snow fall in decades.
At The Silent Gallery headquarters we've been busy shipping orders all across the country, Canada, US and the UK!
Thank you so much for supporting our new venture
Our month long online pop up shop will close for the holidays on the 9th of December
In the next 24 hours we will be uploading new pieces, including one of Tim Ryan's best sellers!
Cotton tote bag gift...
To celebrate the launch of The Silent Gallery
I'm giving away a few cotton tote bags....
if you'd like one send me your address by email
Impossible dresses and soul savers
When Sonya Lennon approached me to do her first fashion film, she triggered a much needed drive to start making pieces that were true to me and free of 'baggage'. After 5 years designing and selling I was catering for all the requirements the industry imposes for commercial survival...style.. price..produccion volume..etc..
In the process of making a few pieces for her, which coincided with the start of the development of my 10th collection. I discovered I had lost my true indentity many seasons ago and was working in some kind of auto pilot for a few years.
As much credit I have to give Aisling Farinella who has been an inspiration, support and a true force of confidence since the start, 10 seasons ago!..Both girls have been, in some way, angels and soul savers this year. I'm so grateful to them for being there and for helping the creative community in Ireland come together and start producing some breathtaking work.
Sonya's film can been seen in www.dais.ie and Aisling's film will be launched later this month
Lauren Gillic from Morgan
Numbers and celebrations..one year on!
Christer Strömholm, Ingalill, 1979 via Abundance
More than a year and a half ago, my friend Helen James and I started talking about doing a blog. It was exactly a year, this month, that I started blogging.
This is post number 200.
I really can't explain what having a blog has meant to me, and how it has changed my life. With 10,000 views a month...it has opened a whole new world, which I can't imagine doing without.
Living as a designer in Ireland, with all the magic that it has, it's also very secluded and isolated.
Being alone, or feeling alone, is just part of the business...
Certainly for someone who has always been considered a foreigner or outsider no matter where I was living...the blog has connected me with like minded people and with some, who a year ago , I would have never imagined having access too.
It has also brought me closer to people in the 'real' world...being vocal and open, has made others realise it's OK to feel and to fear, to have insecurities and to have an opinion...
The blog has also helped me be public about my admiration for those who I care about, writing dozens of 'love letters' to thank them for their influence.
It has also helped me overcome extreme shyness about showcasing my work, a 'publish' click is easier than a phone call!. And has also helped over come my fear of writing in English.
Thank you so much dropping by, it has been a great year...!
Dreams
Dreams pass into the reality of action.
From the actions stems the dream again;
and this interdependence produces the highest form of living.
Maxfield Los Angeles Photograph by Peter Bennett
A month and half from Paris Fashion Week
..still undecided about showing or not...
This is a wish list of shops I would like to see stock my collection in the next seasons.
Fortunately seven of the shops mentioned have or have had the collection for several seasons.
I have decided to included them as they would have been part of my list 5 years ago
...and still are an important part of my dream!
Havana, Dublin Ireland
Kalu, Naas Ireland
Blake, Chicago USA
Fetneh Blake, Laguna Beach USA
If, Dubai
and of course Savannah, Santa Monica.. my first US shop!!!
Amanda Grogan
Photograph by Peter Fingleton
Last Thursday I went to see NCAD 2010 graduate fashion show. Amongst the graduates, my incredible Spring Summer 2008 season assistant, Amanda Grogan, was showing her final year collection. I was so excited to see her pieces come down the catwalk.
I'm sure this will be the begining of a promising career. She has the enthusiasm, personality, drive and commitment to make it through the adventures the next few years will offer her.
Selected from houndreds of candidates from around the world she has been chosen as a finalist in Italian Mittelmoda competition next July....We wish you the best and break a leg!!!
I feel so lucky to have shared a season with her and hope someday we will do something together!
Let the fun begin
Last week I was involved in a mentoring session organised by the girls of Re Dress as part of their annual Fashion Evolution event. I met so many wonderful aspiring creative talents.
Since then I have received quite a few emails asking for further advice, so I thought I'd put a post together focusing on questions of those who are attempting to set up their own label.
I'm pretty sure I'm not the best person to give advise, I don't always practice what I preach.. but that doesn't mean I don't want too...sometimes I need to say it to myself..and the universe.. to be convinced!
So, if you are working on your first collection these are a few tips...
1. Get experience, and I know this might sound like a step back, it will be worth it. It's the only way to learn the knots and blots of the industry. Learn from their success and their mistakes. If you haven't worked for another designer for a few seasons, at least, I would say don't even think of setting up your own label.
2. Once you've gained some experience, research as much as you can in terms of the concept of your creations and who you think your customer will be. I really believe you only have one chance to give a first impression so make sure your designs are up to scratch. I would rather wait for a year or two before putting something out there that I know is not as perfect as can be.
3. Keep your first collection small and concise. A 6 to 10 piece strong collection can be enough to seduce your customers. Don't try to do everything. You can build up the collection in the future, but it will be easier to grab your customer's attention if you have a specific and clear concept.
4. Pricing. Once you've chosen a design concept and the market you think it will be for, be very conscious about costs and pricing. If you are designing for a younger market price point must be adequate to their spending capacity ( this comment is very specific to Ireland..in other countries where there is a bigger population you will find a more diverse customer base with a broad range of budgets)
5. Don't under price your collection. The temptation is to undercut yourself at the beginning trying to get into good shops. It will be hard to charge what you should be charging later on.
6. Capacity. Be very clear what your limitations are, financially and production wise. Say no when you are unable to commit. It's better to say no than to say yes and then letting people down.
6. Stay small for as long as possible. It's the only way to learn without making huge mistakes or taking huge risks.
7. Build up a private customer base as well as nourishing a few shops. Don't step on their toes by selling at discount, this may come back to haunt you.
8. Press are always looking for new stories and great images. Invest in a good shoot, it doesn't have to be overproduced or costly..having great images is priceless. Write a press release. The story is so important now. Everyone from customers to journalists want to know the story behind the label so make sure there is soul in what you're doing.
If there are any other questions I haven't covered or you'd like something more specific let me know!
Creativity and obsession
'The creative habit is like a drug.
The particular obsession changes, but the excitement,
the thrill of your creation lasts'
Henry Moore
After weeks, and months, of distraction and slight apathy, I have been involved in a project which is so exciting I'm unable to focus on anything else. I will reveal at a later date, but for now it’s Paris again this week. Meeting my Japanese friends and also buying fabric
Paris, lace and inspiration.....
I spent a few days in Paris last week, shopping and getting insipration for the new collection.
Not a difficult place to source wonderful ideas. I spent the first few days going to all my favourite suppliers...Mokuba, Fried Freres and a few showrooms of France's fabulous lace makers....
...the view from the little attic apartment where I stayed, on rue Lepic
I brought back many, many bundles of fabric...
I can't wait to start turning them into new styles......
Infamous 2 stone dress
Design development, from idea to finish... 18 months
30 meters of silk
Embroidery...six weeks
To stitch garment...one week
and the wonderful Chloe Arnold modelling it!
The dress is returning from a very exciting trip to the southern hemisphere!
What came in the post...
A few months ago I received a phone call about a journalist from Japan who would like to interview me. A couple of days later we met for afternoon tea at The Westbury and talked for hours. Today I received in the post the newspaper with the article, plus a 'thank you' post it!
I'm often asked why I am so enchanted by Japan, and after going through the obvious aesthetics passions. There is something about their manners and mind that equally mesmerises me.
The interview was a very deep conversation about cultural differences and how the environment one works in has a reflection on ones work, we compared Spanish design to Irish design, we talked politics, economics and the industry.
Mr. Kanno's English was really good, and although he had a translator, we managed to understand each other fairly well.... our disccussions were profound and complex.
It is very rare that subjects of fashion interviews are about the bigger picture and seem to be more about what top suits what body shape or what celebrities wear your clothes.
I wish to thank him so much for the interview, for publishing part of it and also for sending me the newspaper!
P.S. I have not scanned the article because I'm too shy to share the 'Yoda' look a like photograph he took of me..; )
Black and white
I would love to send a huge thank you to Annmarie O'Connor from Iblogfashion who wrote a piece for today's The Sunday Times Style Magazine
Photographs by Eduardo Macias, Make up by Ivey Sullivan,
Hannah Corcoran and Julie Flyn from Morgan.
Eugenio Recuenco - Fairy Tales
This is one of my favourite shoots of all time.
Fairy tales and fashion...what a wonderful combination
If you would like to subscribe to this blog here is the link : )
Knights and angels
To choose a career in the creative world is a curse and a calling, I may have mentioned this in some occasion before. There is no separation from work and life. Emotions fluctuate. This is just part of the deal. Sometimes it's hard to control the status of the spirit. But call it serendipity or coincidence, I'm lucky to have a handfull of what I could only define as knights in shining armour or angels.
Without knowing, they appear in my life when needed with small and not so small gestures that help renew the soul and keep me on the right path.
One of these angels/knights left a book in the shop last week and I have spent the past few days in heaven immersed in its wonderful images....
Merci!!!!!!
one stitch at a time...
Ghosts
For who can wonder that man should feel a vague belief in tales of disembodied spirits wandering through those places which they once dearly affected, when he himself, scarcely less separated from his old world than they, is for ever lingering upon past emotions and bygone times, and hovering, the ghost of his former self, about the places and people that warmed his heart of old?
CHARLES DICKENS
Jade
Impossible to imagine anyone, or anything, stealing the limelight from wonderful Chacha.
During this shoot Jade silently glided herself straight into the centre of the frame, seconds before snapping each shot.
She posed as if knowing, she was meant to be there
Thank you for such a beautiful shoot.
This post is in your memory.
The Great 'Dame' Jade
Inspiration
Next month my 10th collection will be presented. The initial research and inspiration started during Paris Fashion Week, October 2008 on a regular visit to 120 year old Parisian shop Fried Freres.
Their back room is filled from floor to ceiling in old dark wood shelves overflowing with sequins and beads in every colour and shape imaginable. I left an hour later with empty pockets and bags filled with sequins. I immediately started to feed the subconsious with new ideas
A year and half later the concept has turned into reality, and a 10 piece collection to celebrate 10 seasons is in the making.
As with every collection I'm quite nervous and very excited.
Image Deborah Turbeville
The wonderful Tilda
If there is anyone in the realm of contemporary acting that intrigues and inspires me it would be Tilda Swinton.
I can't wait to be in her presence this Sunday
Will be back on Monday, have a lovely weekend.
La Danse
Every year Ireland hosts the Jameson Dublin Film Festival. It is such a great opportunity to see films that are very new, very old or that commercially don't make it on to our regular movie screens.
Last week I went to see the Irish film One Houndred Morningsdirected by Conor Hogan, with a wonderful cast including Kelly Campbell, Ciarán McMenamin, Alex Reid, Rory Keenan and Paul Ronan . I left the cinema wanting a career change.....and that doesn't happen to often, but making movies, specially as beautiful and unpretentious as this one, is such a temptation.
Next weekend I will be seeing a film I never thought would make it here but when I saw the festival's schedule I rushed to book tickets.
I'm not sure where or when was the first time I heard about La Danse, but being one of my true 'loves' I spent weeks researching where it was being screened, no where near Ireland until now....this is a unique opportunity to spend 158 minutes in ballet heaven.
To see the trailer of La Danse go to Film Forum
The red carpet calls
Today I received an email asking for a few 'gunnas'* for the next red carpet event. As if I didn't have any lovely pieces I could easily send today. I have decided to embark myself in a 38 hour frenzy ,making a few pieces I think would be much nicer for the wonderful candidate.
There is nothing better than an impossible deadline to get one's life back in track...specially after a week or so living in limbo....
In anticipation of a couple of sleepless nights and overdosing in chocolate and coffee...I wish you all a wonderful weekend !
*gunnas snatched from the POB dictionary
Happenings
Photograph by Louise Dahl-Wolfe
What a terrible week.
There is no hiding my sentiment, and I have bored you all about this already, regarding the passing of McQueen. I'm not sure why I have been so affected by it, but losing a dear friend several years ago in the exact same manner has brought up ghosts of the past which have to be dealt with.
It's as if someone has ripped my heart out and turned my brain into mushy peas. I can't think and the headache is permanent
Travelling to
I did go from fabric shop to fabric shop listening to personal stories of a young and determined McQueen, breathless, running around looking for fabrics. It was meaningful to be in
On a complete different note, yesterday, as I walked the dog, a wonderful 6 or 7 month old boxer puppy came out of nowhere and joined us for a couple of hours of play.
When it was time to go I didn't have the heart to leave her behind in the park, on her own. Incredibly thin she jumped into my car and we drove her to the vet to check her micro chip...the bad news is some irresponsible owner had not fulfilled their duties of doing this . Leaving me with this adorable dog and no where to find her owner.
I printed posters, drove around and went to the same park several times. No sign of owner.
She stayed the night, but I live in a tiny apartment and all I can say is that no one slept well last night.
This morning I drove her to the pound. I cried the 40 minute journey there and the 40 minute journey back. If I had a garden I would have kept her.
I would like to scream at her owner for not being responsible enough to microchip her. I wouldn't be so upset and the poor dog wouldn't be freezing out in the cold now.
To end this moan on a lighter note..it turns out I will be going to Paris after all...
J'aime London
Next week,
It also marks the beginning of a new season…..... Spring Summer 2011
This is the year of change and pleasure (or so I have decided) so my plan to go to
The last time I visited
This year my trip which is in some ways similar, is slightly less eventful and stressful......promising great inspiration and lots of fun
If you have any favourite or secret places you know and would like to share I would love to hear from you…..anything from shops, galleries, restaurants….
Merci Beaucoup
Are you talented?
You have, no doubt, heard of the awful tragedy in Haiti.
Myself and some other Irish designers are organising an online auction to raise funds.
We have lots of ideas and some amazing things already donated, but thought I would ask you my talented readers for input, any original thoughts ?.
Donations will be accepted in Bow boutique, Powerscourt Townhouse, Dublin 2, Ireland (you can post them too) up until Tue, Jan 26th
Auction will be live
Thurs Jan 28th (I'll post when it's up with a link)
We have set up a Facebook page called Talent for Haiti with details and updates.
You can contact me with any questions either here, in the comments section, or email me at
If you could pass on the word we would really appreciate it.
picture of Shirley Temple from tvtropes
(original post snatched from the very talented Helen James)
Harvest Cook Eat
In December 2008 Mr. Silent and myself became the proud tenants of a little piece of land in County Meath, Ireland.
I'm not sure there was a specific reason for our desire to commit to some madness and a lot of pleasure, but a combination of being more in touch with nature and growing our own vegetables could have contributed to the decision.
Our lack of experience has resulted in a year where my skin started turning purple in June, after overdosing in beetroot, food poisoned by Jurassic Park sized courgettes (zucchinis) and eating spinach everyday for 4 or 5 months.. (Popeye would be proud)
I hope this year will result in a smarter harvest and I have to thank Helen James who has been my 911 call when I'm not sure if things are edible or not... I have a feeling our conversations will be even more frequent this year...
View of our allotment on the 1st of January 2010
Nature's creatures helping themselves to their share of the deal...
Our little helper is unaffected by freezing temperatures or snow..
Who, when and why?? Another rant about my wonderful fashion world..
I could use all my fingers and most of my toes to count the years I've worked in the fashion industry.
My mother reminds me of events in the past that only confirm that it was a path I was destined to follow. (At the age of three I teared a dress off because it wasn't to my liking)...stubborn and determined..not much has changed..
Alfred Eisenstaedt
I have written before about my incompatability and disagreement with many of the industry's manners and games.
There is a basic logistical issue which I simply can't get my head around and have debated with many as to who, when and why did the season deliveries become a reflection of the lack of commonsense that my industry seems to operate by...
Last year one of my Japanese buyers asked for a Winter delivery in May!
I wasn't surprised as it just seemed like the next step in the ladder, and in this business... the higher you go up the retail end, the earlier the delivery should be....even though you end up delivering 100% handknitted cashmere to New York in June.
Since August, I have become a retailer myself so for the first time I can experience and act on what it is pe0ple want...
Today is the 3rd of January, it's snowing and probably -3 degrees Celsius (26 Fahrenheit). I anticipate I will not sell a bikini in the shop until April..and what is flying out the door??...knitwear, coats and anything waterproof or thermal...
If I follow the industry standard I should be 'in sale' when the consumer requires my product the most... and I should be holding Spring Summer stock since the end of November....absurd absurd absurd..
I think for too many years the industry has been bullied by financial advisers and bankers with their computer charts and excel sheets instead of following the customer's real wants and needs...
Commonsense and fashion may not go hand in hand but I am determined to continue my 'war dance' through this circus and just hope the gods will listen.....
Being tagged
To be noticed (tagged) by The Errant Aesthete is an unbelievable honour. It has become my daily read and is a source of infinite inspiration....
In such a short time (my blogging life is barely 3 months) The Errant Aesthete has become very close to my heart and despite its mysterious author.... she seems strangely familiar
To attempt writing this post after she produced such a wonderful piece, has proven to be an extremely hard act to follow....
How tagging works.....when you are tagged by a fellow blogger you must write ten things about yourself and then to continue the tradition you must tag seven blogs.
So here it goes....
I've always thought that my life and existence have danced between the ordinary and extraordinary.
At an early age my parents were called into school because my teacher considered my imagination to be a worrying matter.
When stories and facts were compared.... the apparent exaggerated imagination was simply a glimpse of my reality.....
1. By the age of thirteen I had been to thirteen schools and lived in thirteen countries.
2. My nomadic upbringing always made me feel like a 'unique' outsider. I never felt I belonged anywhere until I moved to Ireland 9 years ago
3. You are most likely to find me at the beach in Winter.
4. At a Royal Palace, the 'Host' kindly gave me (under the table) her portion of chocolate truffles and whispered a secret about another Queen.
5. 2008 was an 'annus horribilis'. I'm still physically and mentally on my way to recovery.
6. Of all the countries that I have lived in, Japan has had the strongest inlfuence in my life
7. In the late 80's I danced all night with Prince...I never new why I was his dance partner of choice... but I suspect it was because I made him look towering tall ...
8.When I grow up... I want to be a photographer.
9. I have never let fear hold me back....I would rather try and fail, than not try at all...
10. My biggest complex is, and always has been, communication...this blog was meant to be a 'silent' photographic journal....I'm slowly confronting my biggest fear.......writing in English...
So now you are tagged
3. www.moroccanmaryam.typepad.com/my_marrakesh/
4. www.mrstrefusis.blogspot.com
5. www.pistaclandestina.blogspot.com
6. www.prettyfarwest.blogspot.com
7. www.seenandsaid.blogspot.com
8. www.theadventuresofagirlandhermoney.blogspot.com
29° 2′ 6″ N, 13° 37′ 58.8″ W
'I long, as does every human being, to be at home wherever I find myself.'
Maya Angelou
Silent Storyteller has temporarily found refuge amongst cacti and volcanoes.
Inspired by my fellow blogger Jane Flanagan's section Where We Blog From....
The Life of Yarn
When I moved back to Ireland in 2001, I was determined to learn local craft traditions.
In my quest, I discovered that my Aunt Patricia had a 30 year old knitting machine, which miraculously survived Kerry's seaside humid and salty air.
She kindly gave me the tattered machine and my other half patiently cleaned and repaired each tiny piece, making the machine work again....and has been, continuously, since...
This weekend I gave it it's last job for 2009
using wonderful Italian cashmere
knitting and hand linking
the last accessories of the year
...made by 'yours truly' and her, almost 40year old, knitting machine
Swimming against the current
In many occasions I have expressed my incompatibility with this industry. It is a love hate relationship. I somehow live in a fantasy world and try to do things my own way. Making life slighlty more complicated.
My biggest reaction to the industry is the expiry date of collections. I have friends in other design disciplines who don't suffer from this terrible constraint.
I am constantly asked by press and buyers 'what season is this?' and 'what season is that...?' I find it very hard to answer.
Am I meant to bury work, which is my heart and soul, and sometimes has taken years to develop, within 12 weeks?
This idea is ludicrous and has dominated the high volume high speed consumption train we have been on for the past years.
To the detriment of good design; which is the essence of our craft in the first place...
This is why it has been my choice to share my work abstaining dates or seasons.
As one reaches certain maturity in business one can decide what direction to take, rather than committing to what others require.
Fortunately the industry has slowed down and it means designers can breathe again, once the financial burdens have been taken care of.
Nasrin from Morgan the Agency
Make up Aoife Redmond
Photography Eduardo Macias
Clothes by yours truly
Irresistible fabric
Too often I find fabrics which are impossibly expensive to include in my collection. However they are so beautiful that my rational side shuts down and the impulse to purchase is incontrollable.
Thankfully having your own shop (Bow is three months this week) allows you to showcase some of these treasures.
In the past their existence would have been limited to a photograph and probably condemned to exile in the archive..
I came across this three layered fabric (silk organza, tulle and lace) a few seasons ago and had to have it.
These are some pieces I made...
Photographs featured by Deirdre McQuillan for the Irish Times
Photographer : Sarah Doyle, Stylist: Paula Hughes, Model
Catherine W from Morgan The Agency
A shop with a view
One month has passed since returning from Paris, it seems like a year and even further away seems my next expected visit in March. Needless to say distance and time make the heart grow fonder!
My favourite pastime is wandering the streets aimlessly. I usually stay in an apartment so I am able to take part in wonderful mundane daily tasks like buying flowers, bread and cheese. And for a few days I truly believe that I am a Parisian citizen.
This season, more than ever, have I seen a huge number of vacant units available throughout the city and found a perfect little space to convert into my dream shop.
Description:
'Tiny space with a great view.
Neighbour : Rick Owens.'
Not much more needs to be said......it's free to dream
a dream shop
with a dream view
a perfect bench for lunch
The birth of a new collection - a new year resolution....
Vilhelm Hammershoi A Woman Sewing In An Interior
Having announced to the Universe on several occasions in the past few weeks my intention to start the next collection, which will be my 10th, I can confirm the process has officially started today.
Usually visual research would be my starting point, not so much in terms of clothes and fashion but rather in atmospheres. I try to develop a collection with a feeling or a mood rather that a literal concept.
Simultaneously fabric swatches start surging from boxes and drawers and the collection starts somehow to spontaneously evolve.
As I struggle with the industry standard to deliver two to six collections a year, I am trying to work my way around this by doing one ongoing collection. This has been a dream since I started 5 years ago.
I am determined to make 2010 the year I DO what I WANT and not what I SHOULD.
Updates on developements to follow....
Bow - Two Months
Last week my new venture with Margaret O'Rourke, Matt Doody and Wendy Crawford...........
'Bow Boutique' ....celebrated two months since we first opened our doors in Powerscourt Townhouse Centre in Dublin.
Margaret O'Rourke
Matt Doody
Premiere D'Atelier
Let me introduce you to my new member of staff.
She arrived last week from a far away land ...courtesy of M.C.
Ever since I trained in fashion many moons ago... I have dreamt of having her and now she's here.
She may seem old and tattered but she is perfect
As it has been suggested to me recently that I must have a 'Premiere D'Atelier' in order to complete my 'Parisian Workshop' I have decided she would be the perfect candidate to carry out the required duties (in silence)
She has been named Madame Georgette and will start working, from tomorrow, on my 10th collection
My work
- Black and white
- Glendalough with Peter Evers
- Impossible dresses and soul savers
- Killeen with Patrick McHugh
- La Catedral Studios Shoot
- Laundry Lady
- one stitch at a time...
- Pieces is progress
- Secret Knitwear Collection
- Sneak Peak - Sunday Business Post
- The collection goes to Paris
- The first Spring Summer Collection, 5 years ago
- The Life of Yarn
- Winter
This is Couture
Not so silent ramblings..
Designers
Irish Fashion
Daily inspiration
- abundance
- automatism
- Bluetramontana Style
- Colin McDowell
- Couture and confection at Rue Vieuville
- Helen James
- Ill Seen, Ill Said
- In New York Paris Tomorrow
- le style et la matière
- LIMI's NOTE
- MRS TREFUSIS TAKES A TAXI
- Pista Clandestina
- Porcelains and Peacocks
- Sea of Shoes
- sfgirlbybay - bohemian modern style from a san francisco girl
- The Errant Æsthete
- The French Mouse
- The Luxe Chronicles
- the style saloniste
- up and down town
Irish friends
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
